ベーゴマ

also: べえごま · ばいごま

ベ

イ

ゴ

マ

Meanings

spinning top made from a shell

usually written using kana alone

A traditional Japanese spinning top, originally made from a Babylon shell (バイ貝). Often used in playground games. The word is usually written in kana.

独楽こま
A general term for spinning tops; ベーゴマ specifically refers to tops made from shells, while 独楽 covers all types.

ベーゴマUsage100%
- ベイゴマ
  Common katakana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
- ベーゴマ
  kana-only spelling
べいごま
Hiragana spelling; less common than katakana but still used.
べえごま
Dialectal or older variant reading; rarely used in modern standard Japanese.
ばいごま
Dialectal or older variant reading; rarely used in modern standard Japanese.
貝独楽
rarely-used kanji form
- べいごま
  Rarely used kanji form; the word is usually written in kana.
- ばいごま
- べえごま

From 貝 (かい, shell) + 独楽 (こま, spinning top), with the reading べい from バイ貝 (Babylon shell). The exact derivation of the reading is uncertain.